by Feng Yue
Soon after, the vault of heaven broke, and the gap that led to the depths of the realm of aether widened. This revealed the glow of the cool and quiet moon. Ye Qingxuan gasped. Quiet Moon!
At the same time that Ye Qingxuan had obtained Odin’s divinity, the old musician had also obtained many of the music theories within his body, such as inheriting the catastrophic resonation of Abraham, and the Quiet Theory that he had risked his life to obtain from the Sacred City!
Under the call from the catastrophe music theory, one of the Three Pillar Gods, who used to stick with Hyakume but had since fallen and had been unheard of all this while, appeared above the vault of heaven. It was Quiet Moon, which swept through the mortal world. A chilly aura was suddenly imprinted in everyone’s heart. That was a brake valve that flowed out of the Originator, a tool of destruction that would eliminate all music theories…
This was exactly why the artifact must not be moved without any good reason. Other than that single time where Ye Qingxuan had to deal with the threat of Hyakume clashing with the Holy Caldron, he never dared to summon Quiet Moon ever again. At most, he would use the Quiet Theory as a front if he needed to. The moment it was summoned by mistake, Quiet Moon would not care about your reason; all it would do was erase you completely from the inside out.
At this moment, Ye Qingxuan could care less about pursuing the old musician. Instead, he was channeling all the powers that the old musician had left behind into the Land of Dreams before retreating as quickly and as far away as he could. Then, he would watch how the old musician would set fire on himself. And now, the old musician did not care about his impending doom. All he could do was laugh out loud. “Oh God, I shall drag you off your throne today!”
In that instant, the formation of the Tree of World shot into the sky as a sign of the end of the moon cycle. Ye Qingxuan was dumbfounded as he stared at what was happening before his eyes. He finally understood what the old musician had been planning. He would use the core and power of the Nine Great Worlds to drag the Quiet Moon back from the Originator and seal it in this cage!
747 Have a Taste of Your Own Medicine
Since the Nine Great Worlds could not form, they would have to settle for the next best thing and preserve Asgard’s last deterrent power.
For this, the old musician would not hesitate to make the Quiet Moon his goal. As long as he mastered the power and elements of the Quiet Moon, then as far as any musician was concerned, Asgard would be put in a hopeless situation.
After the Wyrmrest enchantment spread over the entire country, Asgard, which had lost its musicians, would no longer fear the challenge of any musician. With its current huge amount of national strength as the foundation, no matter what kind of war they faced Asgard could fight it!
At this moment, the light was like a flame burning the arrays on the Tree of World. Odin’s divinity used this as a bridge, rushing towards the Quiet Moon and infecting it.
Replace a god with a god, gain strength from strength.
Exchange Odin, who was destined to remain unformed, for a true God!
Now, Ye Qingxuan had no way to interfere with the battle. Nor did he dare to. He still had to suppress the power of the Nine Great Worlds, integrate it into the Land of Dreams, and turn it into a true divine domain. Moreover, if the Quiet Moon considered his intervention to be hostile, things would go very badly for Ye Qingxuan!
Now, he had already been expelled from the war by the old musician, and all he could do was watch.
He could only witness the terrible battle between Odin and the Quiet Moon.
He watched the moon fall little by little towards the cage that the old musician had made.
He watched Odin burning under the moonlight’s disintegration and gradually collapse until finally the last ray of moonlight was swallowed up by Vanaheim.
In just ten or so minutes, the Three Pillar God suffered its second loss after Hyakume.
With the god prototype that Ye Qingxuan had built, the power of the Quiet Moon was completely swallowed up by Vanaheim under the old musician’s impetus.
And, as a cost, all the old musician’s divinity was burnt to ash.
Odin was no more.
There was no victor in the battle between the two gods. Only Asgard was the victor.
The divine realm slowly dissipated, and Vanaheim was once again hidden beneath the earth without a trace. But now everyone in the world probably knew that Asgard possessed the power and elements of the Quiet Moon.
The old musician’s illusion appeared beneath the ruined earth, seeming to be his last flash of activity before the end. He tipped his hat and saluted to Ye Qingxuan, and thanked him for all his “help” to Asgard.
In the end, Ye Qingxuan had been used by the old musician.
Ye Qingxuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. “You planned this all along?” he asked.
“You’ve already seen the best outcome. This here is the worst.” The old musician smiled self-deprecatingly, and cracks appeared on his face. A clear sound came from the depths of his body. It was the countdown to his death.
Everything that he was had burned along with Odin. His final obsession would disappear from heaven and earth along with the achievement of his desires. But in his final glance at his home soil, his eyes were still filled with attachment and reluctance to part.
He had succeeded.
Even if it was only minimal success, even if this was the worst result possible from his plan, he had still left behind the best protection for the people of Asgard.
To be able to let Asgard continue through the coming years of turmoil, to give it the power to not collapse…
“Can I ask you to look after Asgard for me from now on?” The old musician looked at Ye Qingxuan. “If you one day create a new world, can you not spare a bit of compassion for the people of Asgard?”
“You’re about to die and you’re still thinking about this?” Ye Qingxuan asked indifferently. But the old musician did not answer. He just looked at him with pleading eyes. Ye Qingxuan was silent for a while, then nodded. “I promise.”
“That’s good.” The old musician smiled with relief, then sat on the ground. Cracks ruptured all over his body. His time had run out.
“My body was not enough…” He gazed greedily at the world that was riddled with holes and whispered, “It has become so ugly, but I still… It is difficult to abandon such a world.”
He murmured. He sighed. He gazed. He cared.
He closed his eyes.
In the faint wind, he quietly dissolved into dust.
…
“Well, I’m off too.” Elsa glanced at Ye Qingxuan. Even her usually rambunctious self was still now. As she looked at Ye Qingxuan, her expression became sad. She said nothing. She just reached out and pinched Ye Qingxuan’s face.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“You are also an Emperor now.” Elsa shook her head dully. “Grandpa said that Emperors can’t be friends with each other.”
Ye Qingxuan couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. “I’m not an Emperor, and I won’t ever be.” He reached out and tapped her on the forehead. “So can we still be friends?”
Her sadness dissipated, and she looked at him with wide eyes. There was a flame of joy burning in her crystal clear eyes that radiated light. “If you have time, can you come see me?”
“Definitely.” Ye Qingxuan grinned. “We’ll be friends forever, right?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Elsa nodded her head vigorously, and her flamelike hair shook out. She was still the crazy girl she had been. She took out the little thing that she had been carrying and stuffed it into Ye Qingxuan’s hands.
“Oh, and this. I rewove it. Don’t lose it!”
Ye Qingxuan touched his hand and found the familiar straw doll. But it seemed to have undergone complicated and theory alchemical recasting. The silk threads seemed to give off light as if it was immortal, and round, ugly face was no longer like it used it be. Now it resem
bled his own.
“Ok.” He clutched the doll and watched the Empress who was cheerful as a crazy girl disappear in the flames.
After a while, he put Elsa’s gift away and walked towards the depths of the destroyed battlefield. Although Odin was dead, there were still some valuable things left.
For example, the Tree of World that contained Gungnir’s alchemy arrays. Even though the front of it had borne the Quiet Moon’s assault, it still survived and had not been destroyed along with Odin.
However, at that moment, a black shadow suddenly appeared from the void, and in the instant when Ye Qingxuan’s reaction was delayed, it opened its mouth wide and gripped the Tree of World within it. Two pitch-black wings unfurled and it fled quickly.
Ye Qingxuan stood with his eyes wide open and his jaw hanging wide open as he watched the huge black dragon that bore the scent of death disappear into the sky with incredible speed.
When he finally was able to react, he wanted to curse.
He had worked so hard for so long, and the spoils of war were snatched away by this shadow that had been hiding off to the side?
Are you freaking kidding?
In but an instant, he felt the power and presence of the one who had come. It was full of the smell of abyssal elements, its familiar degrading presence, its shameless style…
There was only one person it could be.
“Naberius!” Ye Qingxuan gritted his teeth and gripped the New Testament Sword as his eyes blazed red.
Fine. I, the Grand Inquisitor, didn’t get even with you by tying you to the stake, and now, you come and hit me over the head like this?
Fine, fine, fine. Why don’t I let you know how powerful I am now. I’ll blend you into the Abyss!
The New Testament Sword lit up, and Ye Qingxuan’s incarnation of the Holy Spirit rose into the sky, firmly locking onto the “black knight” that was already so far away on the horizon. His killing power shot forth.
But at that moment, he suddenly stopped his pursuit, for a majestic power gushed out behind him. Numerous hymns played, and the projection of the Holy Cauldron reappeared. Next, a vague and majestic figure emerged from the void!
The Supreme King had come!
The King of Red?
Ye Qingxuan clenched his sword as if he was faced with a formidable foe. But when the one who had come lifted his face, he was plunged into a daze.
“Brother, who are you?”
…
Beyond Asgard, on the back of the huge black dragon, the black knight who had become the incarnation of death held the Tree of World and laughed towards the sky.
He had concealed himself patiently for so long in order to seize this opportunity, and in a burst of motion, had grabbed the World Tree. Just Ye Qingxuan’s dazed expression was enough to make him want to savor that moment endlessly.
He had always been humiliated by Ye Qingxuan, but now Naberius had finally gotten his own back. This was just like the hundreds of blood sacrifices that Hyakume had enjoyed. Joy bubbled up inside him.
“Little Mo, Little Mo, hurry up!” Naberius laughed harshly. “Let’s go home and have some meat! Now that we’ve robbed the big players we can establish ourselves in the world of dark with no fear!”
Homesickness hit him like an arrow.
Now that he had the Tree of World, he was the most powerful of the Abyss’s remaining forces. No one could match him. After he returned, he could master all the fallen musicians and demons.
By then, he would have completely come into his own and would be no less powerful than Paganini before the rebellion. And there would be no Abyss Sages to hold him back.
Although the Abyss was doomed to be overthrown, and would probably never again be relevant, couldn’t great talents revive it with their own power?
After giving up on wading through the waters of the human world, this power would be enough to let him rush to stake a claim in the world of dark and let him take the next step in studying the power that Hyakume had left behind.
With the Tree of World in his hands, he could completely integrate the legacy left behind by Hyakume, and truly turn himself into a catastrophe. He would not get old, and not die, fulfilling the wish he had had for centuries.
Naberius could not help but sing happily when he thought about that day that was close at hand.
Above the vast ocean, Naberius looked down upon the endless scenery and could not help but sigh; Ye Qingxuan was too impatient. If he had slowly brought his forces to bear to crush Asgard step by step, and thoroughly surrounded them with his concentrated armies, enclosing them like an iron bucket, things would not have ended up like this.
When he thought of this, he couldn’t help but laugh again.
The black dragon looked back at him in confusion. “What are you laughing at, uncle?”
“I’m laughing at the fact that Ye Qingxuan has finally used up all his tricks.” The black knight pointed to his surroundings and said, “Dont say anything else. If the Witch Hammer ambushing us would be enough to stop us and give him time to catch up at his leisure.” Before he had finished talking, the clouds broke, and the iron whale sang.
Steel warships emerged from the clouds.
Then, the aether waves of numerous purification musicians burst out from under the surface of the sea, and Scepter after Scepter rose from the Mountain of Nomadism. In a flash, the Holy Wall was erected all around.
Finally, on the deck of the Mountain of Nomadism, a wheelchair was pushed forward. The young man in the wheelchair seemed to not be able to bear the cold and had a thin blanket on his knees. His delicate features evoked sympathy, but his iron-grey eyes exuded a cold chill.
It was just like he had said…
It was an ambush!
Naberius was stunned. He felt an impulse to slap himself. Me and my big mouth!
He looked at the one who was coming and sneered.
“Long time no see, Lord Robin!”
Not minding the mockery in his voice, Watson nodded slightly. “Long time no see indeed, Mr. Naberius.”
Naberius looked all around the blockade, then finally looked coldly at the commander of all of this. “You expected this?”
“We have met before, after all.” Watson lit the cigarette in his mouth. “Originally we were supposed to support His Highness as reinforcements, but I thought if we waited here a while we’d get a better result, no?” He flicked away some ash as he said this and looked at the black dragon. “Now that a new emperor has succeeded, it would not be good to let His Highness Mordred wander about. He should return to his country as quickly as possible to avoid disorder.”
On the dragon’s back, Naberius transformed into the black knight and asked indifferently, “Are you sure you want to leave me behind?”
Watson just smiled, as if he had told him a joke. He smoked his cigarette unhurriedly. A balance and an hourglass appeared behind him, and strange heretical scripture emerged.
In the end, he threw the cigarette but into the wind and pulled out a dark glass bottle. He gave a sly smile just like Shi Dong.
“Now, have a taste of your own medicine.”
748 An Evil Balance
At the moment, above the ruins, Ye Qingxuan looked at the middle-aged stranger, stunned. “Bro, who are you?”
The figure projected by the Holy Cauldron tilted his head to one side and looked at Ye Qingxuan, then asked back, “It shouldn’t be hard for you to guess the answer?”
Ye Qingxuan looked at the sky subconsciously, then looked down at the projection in front of him, and asked cautiously, “The King of Yellow?”
The person shrugged slightly. “The one and only.”
Ye Qingxuan was silent for a long time, then said flatly, “I thought the King of Red would be the one to come.”
“It should have been him.” The King of Yellow looked around and said calmly, “He should have come here 15 minutes ago. By trying to split the physical world, Asgard has defied the principles of the Sacred City. He would
never sit aside and watch it happen.”
Ye Qingxuan understood what he meant. “You had a way to stop him?”
“His long-distance transmission is based on the aether cycle of the human world. Coincidentally, I’m in charge of this aspect,” the King of Yellow replied, not bothering at all to disguise the fact that he didn’t get along with the King of Red. “By the way, the King of Blue has also given up on interfering in the changes taking place in the human world. His overly strong power has become a barrier between him and other humans, and the Kings of Blue of each generation in the past eventually chose self-exile as well.
“So, you don’t have to worry about him becoming your enemy. Even if he makes up his mind to act, his enemy will not be you.”
Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. No longer paying attention to the thoughts going wild in his mind, he looked at the supreme king, whose intention was unclear, and asked directly, “So, have you come here to fight?”
“Tasks like destruction have always been the job of the King of Blue. I am only responsible for wrapping up and making amends.” The King of Yellow did not care about the New Testament Sword aiming at him at all, nor did he show any hostility. He simply looked at Ye Qingxuan. “So, you need not test the water so boringly anymore. Why don’t we have a chat openly and honestly??”
“Sorry, I don’t have the time to.” Ye Qingxuan responded indifferently, “If you don’t want to fight with me, then remove the blockade in the space around, I still have matters to attend to.”
The New Testament Sword was flipped, and the metallic gleam on the ridge of the sword reflected the void around the two. The sound of steel scraping against each other was heard. Before Ye Qingxuann had realized it, the two were in a cage.
“I’m sorry about it.” The King of Yellow sighed. “Although I don’t want to fight, I can’t let you go to the Golden Palace. If you insist on taking up arms against me, I can tell you the result—if I focus solely on defense, you can’t kill me. Although you will win, if I don’t die, you can’t leave. I won’t give others a chance to stick a finger in the fight at the Golden Palace. Its results are crucial to me.”